#7 Tips for Reducing Shopping Cart Abandonment rate

More than the issue of directing traffic to the site, it is much more crucial to avoid the shipping cart abandonment on the site. People browse the site, find their product and move on to next purchase level by including the product on shopping cart, but during the payment process the user may abandon the site leading to sales drawback to the site. An average of 67.91% online shopping cart abandon rate is noted during a study. Average online conversion rate is 2.13%.

Some of the reasons for cart abandonment includes:

• 56% who state that they encountered unexpected cost on checkout

• 37% of people were only browsers

• 36% found a better price somewhere else

• 32% found the overall price too expensive

• 26% decided against buying

• 25% found the navigation too complicated

• 24% left with website crash

• 21% found the process taking too long time

• 18% encountered excessive payment security checks

• 17% were concerned about payment security

• 16% felt delivery options to be unsuitable

• 15% encountered website time out

• 13% find difficulty because price presented in foreign currency

• 11% payment was declined.

Some of the tips to manage shopping cart abandonment are discussed below.

1. Allow customers to purchase without registering

People get easily distracted when the cart deals with lengthy procedure for buying a product. There should be only minimal queries included for registering. Many customers are unaware of the benefits of registering. Therefore customers can be provided with options to select items and purchase them easily without registering with the site. In few cases, the cart will collect the details later when customer buys the product to update the database.

2. Unexpected cost

In the beginning, the customer will find the product price to be attractive or low. But when it comes to the check out process, the customer may get annoyed with unexpected levies, taxes, shipping and other costs which will make the product price to be higher. The cart should adapt to transparent pricing.

3. Handling international customers

Some of the common issues faced by international customers are:

* Near the State dropdown box, only US states are listed

* No option to pay using customer’s home currency

* The shopping options are irrelevant to buyer

* No information regarding the retailer selling in offshore

Nearly 5-10% of the sales originate from international customers, therefore the shopping cart should be designed accordingly to manage the above stated problems.

4. No deviation during check out

The customers may be guided during the checkout process by providing shopping options, payment options, delivery date, gift wrapping etc. They should not be deviated away from the checkout process.

5. Call to action button

Use of call to auction button such as ‘Pay now’ and ‘Proceed to checkout’ should be prominently visible as fixed button on the site such that people find it easier to make checkout.

6. Feel secure while making payment

Mostly people feel unsecured when they provide their personal detail and payment details like credit card details. These can be avoided by providing a professional looking website. Badges and other symbols of security should be displayed which may motivate the customer to make transaction. The site should also display the privacy policy, money back guarantee, and other terms on the site.

7. Abrupt closing of checkout window

Incase of closing checkout window in the middle of the transaction, an email can be sent to the customer indicating that the product is ready for delivery once when the customer completes the checkout process. Customers can also be contacted on the phone to provide checkout assistance. An advertisement of the product chosen by the customer can be placed on third party site where customer visits. This can be a reminder for the customer to make the purchase. The customer can also be identified on their next visit and reminded of the products in the cart.

By following the above discussed methods, the abandonment of the shopping cart can be greatly reduced. Customized service can be provided to the customers while motivating them to buy by assisting them at every stage of checkout. By following the above said option, abandonment rate of the shopping cart can be controlled.